The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1887-06-03
NOT GUILTY.!
The Jury in the Krolik Case Acquit the
Accused.
Only Three Ballots Taken to Decide
the Case--Max Free and Happy
Man.

AS noted in Saturdays FREE PRESS, thu
case of State of Minnesota vs.. Max Kro
Liz, was given to the jury Saturday even
ing about six o'clock. After the attor
neys had exhausted themselves i'm argu
ment,, Judge Severance proceeded t.
charge the jury, and while he felt it un
necessary to review the testimony, he
Impressed with force upon the minds Of
the jury the points of law involved, and
indicated what testimony it should and
what it should not consider. Arson in
the first degree was the only offense the
accused. could be found guilty of-there
was no lower crime which could be
found against him. Either he must be
acquitted or the jury must bring in q
verdict of guilty for this offense. The
least punishment would be ten years in
the penitentiary-the greatest incarcera.
ton for life.
From the Judges charge it seemed
clear to those in no wise Interested i'm
the case, that either the jury would dis
agree, or that finding of the nature OF
that returned would result. Not, we de-
sire to say, from any intimation the
Judge gave in his remarks of his indi-
vidual opinion, for he concealed his
identity in this particular, but rather
from the lack of cireumstantial evidence
as a whole, which, with the law so clear
ly laid down, seemed to leave very
grave doubt as to the real guilt of the ac-
cused. Any one who followed the tes-
timony in the case as it progressed, could
plainly see many eliminating circum-
stances, which looked bad for Max.
But such might and often has been pro-
duced against the most innocent OF
men charged with crimes of high or low
degree. And with equal truth we may
say that ON the side of the defense
many points were made to show that
there could be no motive for so rash,
unreasonable and henious a crime to be
attempted.
The jury took three ballots. The first
stood eight for acquittal and four for
conviction. The second ballot stood ten
for acquittal and two for conviction, and
the third and final vote was unanimous
for acquittal.
The jury has said that Krolik was IN
nocent, and it is only fair that he should,
on the verdict, be 30 held. Few, if any,
cases have been held in this county that
caused more research, care and determ-
nation on the part of counsel than this.
No important point was left untouched
that could tend to convict or acquit.
Both sides labored hard and did them
selves proud in the conduct of the trial,
and for this very reason the verdict of
the jury is of more value to KrolIk than
it would otherwise have been. In his
argument, Mayor Pau showed his de-
termination to convict the prisoner, and
dwelt with earnestness upon every
point that would show guilt or sustain
the theory of guilt. He gave the cele-
brated criminal lawyer, Mr.. Erwin,
more trouble than he had counted on in
rebuttal, and this fact Mr.. Erwin frank
ly expressed at the close of the trial.
Mr.. Krolik left at o'clock Monday for
Winnipeg to meet his happy bride-to-be.
He will be married on Sunday next,
and then return to Denver, COL, where
he has position with his cousin as
book-keeper in wholesale cigar estab-
lishment. While here on trial, Max
was offered lucrative position in the
German-American bank, of Detroit,
Mich, but bis Alliance preferring the
the West, he will not accept the offer.